Posted on 04/22/2002 8:50:14 AM PDT by fivecatsandadog
A federal immigration judge denied bond for Ann Arbor Muslim leader Rabih Haddad in December because he was less than forthcoming about his income and showed a pattern of deceit, according to court transcripts released late Friday.
Haddad, 41, a Lebanon native arrested Dec. 14 for overstaying a tourist visa, initially refused to answer questions about how he supports his family of five and how he traveled to almost every major city in America over the past 14 years. When he did talk on cross examination, he disclosed minimal information, the documents said.
The decision by U.S. Immigration Judge Elizabeth Hacker was among thousands of pages of court transcripts released by the U.S. Justice Department late Friday under an order from a federal judge who ruled that the secretive nature of the hearings violated the First Amendment. Haddad and several newspapers, including The News, filed suit to release the documents and open the immigration hearings after reporters were denied access to the proceedings.
Shortly before the release of the documents, government officials said in a written statement that they will not fight the decision, but will protest attempts to unseal more sensitive information regarding Haddad's case - and pursue their appeal.
Associate Attorney General Jay Stephens also said Edmund's order does not require them to release more-sensitive information presented in Haddad's case.
According to the documents released Friday, Haddad testified that he has not worked in the United States and is not certified to do so. He said he is supported by his wife's relatives in Kuwait and his family in Lebanon, in addition to contributions called "zakat" from other Muslims. Hacker noted that no family member offered testimony or affidavits regarding that money. Haddad, when asked four times to name those who made contributions, refused, saying most of the money was received anonymously.
Haddad also said he signed an employment verification form while applying for residency at his current home in Scio Township's Woodchase Apartments. The document indicates Haddad earned $29,500 a year as an executive director of the Global Relief Foundation, an international Islamic humanitarian charity he co-founded while living in Chicago in 1992. The foundation's assets were frozen the day Haddad was arrested.
Haddad also testified that he viewed the salary as "zakat" and asked charity representatives to submit the form knowing it was untrue because he feared the apartment would not accept a tenant who lived on charity. He denied knowing that the complex provides federally subsidized housing for low-income residents.
The records also show that two federal agents who arrested Haddad testified that he was behaving as if hiding something the day he was arrested. When the agents asked for his passport and those for his family, which Haddad retrieved from a briefcase, one agent testified that Haddad positioned himself as if to block their view. After the agents asked him to move, they saw four to six "bricks" of cash about 2 or 3 inches high.
Haddad said the stacks were "only singles," according to the documents.
Haddad's attorney, Ashraf Nubani, who contends his client was singled out unfairly as an Arab male in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, said Hacker abused her discretion and made numerous errors of fact and law. He also said an appeal of Hacker's ruling is pending before an Immigration Board of Appeals in Virginia.
Nubani downplayed the bond ruling and said the lack of a controversial "bombshell" in the paperwork - regarding any ties between Haddad and terrorists - bolsters the argument that Haddad is unjustly detained.
"The public has been looking for answers and the answer is that there is no reason to detain him and documents will make that clear," Nubani said.
Art Aisner can be reached at aaisner@annarbornews.com or (734) 994-6823.
This guy's story would be enough to set off anyone's BS Detector. In the immortal words of Deep Throat: "Follow the money."
His mail box must be luckier than the Lotto.
Imal
Documents smocuments.... You can bet that his "documents" will be as valid as his word is good.... NOT!!!
Haddad is still in detention because he overstayed his visa, and because he refuses to testify unless he is granted FULL immunity.
If he's innocent, as the wife claims, why does he need immunity? The wife's claiming he needs it because he's afraid of a jury.
Someone brought up on the show that Haddad was here illegally and that Haddad doesn't have the right to work here...the wife denied it, said it wasn't true and wanted to know where he heard it ( as if this is a secret) and Donahue cut the guy off. I guess Donahue didn't want that part of the story mentioned.
You see, Haddad came here on a tourist visa. A tourist visa requires an applicant to sign and confirm that the applicant is not coming to the US to seek work but is coming for very specific reasons related to tourism and to visit relatives, etc. Coming here to start a charity is definitely NOT one of the activities which are allowed under that visa. Haddad is a liar- he came here to do work. A lot of it, as a matter of fact. He traveled all over creation on behalf of his 'charity.' He sure as heck wasn't traveling all over the US as a tourist.
Anyway, Donahue has Feingold on now and it is getting too transparently biased for me to linger watching the show, so I'm off to something else.
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